Industry From Traditional to Digital

76 homefinder | July-August, 2011

KEEPING track of a development’s construction is no easy task. Once a project is underway, few will have the access to view progress first-hand. This can be frustrating especially for property buyers who wait with fingers crossed, hoping nothing goes wrong. Within this waiting period even abandonment can happen. Due to lack of monitoring, problems are not detected early, and those in the dark will try to mitigate loss right at the last minute, to no avail.

A possible solution can be found through a web-based system called Project Site Tracker, an innovative online monitoring tool by CON-PEX International Consortium Group. Ar Eric Gan, Director of CONPEX Solutions Sdn Bhd defines the system as, an “Online real-time reporting” platform. This system digitizes the traditional processes and methods of project monitoring and provides data access within a centralized system.

“Those given access can go to the site and get information directly instead of painstakingly tracking down documents manually,” says Eric.

Be it property developers, investors, govern-ment officials or financial institutions, they can monitor a project’s progress anytime, anywhere via the Internet.

Project Site Tracker can be accessed through its website, which means data can be accessed using mobile devices, on the go. One of the fea-tures of Tracker is the ability to upload photo updates, taken by those with jurisdiction, direct to the system for others to view and comment. This platform enables a visual insight into the progress of the development, a valuable source for those who normally rely on paper reports as well as opening space for discussions.

Eric adds, “When a progress report comes in, there are no supporting pictorials to actu-ally see the progress. Sometimes certifications are inaccurate.”

Eric believes that the technology is all in place; it is just a matter of accepting it and changing a traditional mindset could be a challenge.

Text Lawrence Julius

“The system notonly saves costs,

it improvesproductivity too.”

– Eric Gan, Director,CONPEX Solutions Sdn Bhd

But Tracker is not only used in construction, it is also customizable to monitor the conditions of hill slopes and potholes for example. Gov-ernment bodies can use this monitor to speed-up detection and action. This system can even be installed within a client’s internal server if requested.

“The system not only saves costs, it improves productivity too,” says Eric.

An administrator will allow or disallow access to people and filter all incoming materials like pho-tos and documents. Among other services within the system are templates to organize information more efficiently and accessed easily. Certificates and reports during the construction period like the progress, cost and payment reports can all be uploaded and organized for easy reference.

Eric says via this route, a lot more transparency is given to property buyers. “It lifts confidence in the developer’s ability to deliver,” Eric says.

On the other hand, stakeholders and contrac-tors get to keep close watch and make critical decisions faster, while government enforce-ment agencies can use this to monitor progress and working conditions. Non-performing loans can be reduced as well when financial institu-tions opt to keep track of their mortgage prop-erties with the system. Eric is confident inci-dences of project abandonment can ultimately be reduced through this means of monitoring developers’ construction progress online.

From TradiTional To digiTal

An important factor not always considered – monitoring

For more informationvisit www.projectsitetracker.com

Eric Gan, accessing ProjectSite Tracker from his tablet PC.